Castle Finale Recap: Deadly Confessions

[The following story contains numerous spoilers from this Monday’s episode of ABC’s Castle.]

After three seasons of intrigue about the murder of Beckett’s mother (and even more torturous “Will they/Won’t they?” sexual tension between the two leads), Monday’s season finale of Castle finally offered up some confessions. With trained killer Lockwood on the loose, Beckett plunged back into her mother’s case — much to the chagrin of all the important men in her life. First, her father showed up at Castle’s door and begged him “not to let her throw her life away.” Like Captain Montgomery, he knew that Castle was the only one who could get Beckett to stand down. “She cares about you, Rick,” he told him. “And unless you’re a lot dumber than you look, I know you care about her.”

Castle let it be known just how much he cares by trying to convince Beckett to let go of the case before she got herself killed. And if not for herself, then do it for the ones who love her, like Josh. (If he loves her so much, where is he?) When Beckett asked about Castle’s own intentions, he replied, “Of course I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m your partner. I’m your friend.”

“I don’t know what we are,” Castle continued. “We kissed and then we never talk about it. We nearly died in each other’s arms and we never talked about it. So I got no clue what we are.” Maybe he should have stopped there because after he accused Beckett of being scared and hiding in her mother’s murder like she hides in “these nowhere relationships with men you don’t love” — harsh, but true — she wanted nothing to do with him.

“You know what we are, Castle? We are over. Now get out,” she demanded.

Thankfully, Montgomery talked some sense into Beckett, revealing that he could have gotten rid of Castle at any time, but he saw “how good he was for [her]. You weren’t having any fun before he came along,” he told her.

The sweetness of the almost father/daughter-like moment was made bittersweet when Montgomery later confessed to Beckett his surprising part in her mother’s case. He was a rookie flatfoot who looked up to the dirty cops kidnapping mobsters for ransom. He believed in what they were doing. And then one day, he accidentally shot undercover FBI agent Bob Arman during the kidnapping of mobster Joe Pulgatti, who was in turn framed for Arman’s murder. It was Pulgatti’s case that Beckett’s mother was looking into.

When Beckett came into his life, Montgomery “felt the hand of God,” so he wasn’t going to let any harm come to her. He lured Beckett to the hangar to set a trap for Lockwood and his men, which meant sacrificing himself in the process. “I forgive you. You don’t have to do this,” Beckett cried as Castle dragged her away. As Montgomery lay bleeding on the ground, he told Lockwood he saw to it that “he” wouldn’t come after Beckett. Hmm, perhaps those files that Montgomery mailed were insurance?

“The best you can hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you’re very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you,” Beckett said at Montgomery’s funeral, sneaking a glance at Castle. Ever observant, Castle spotted something in the distance. Before he could lunge in front of her, a sniper’s bullet hit Beckett. Cradling Kate in his arms, Castle begged her to stay with him. “I love you,” he cried — and it almost looked like she smiled at the confession before her eyes closed. So while we know Beckett will survive (come on, it’s not our first time to the TV rodeo), this is certainly a big confession that promises to shake things up for next season.

What did you think of Castle’s “I love you”? Are you sad about losing Montgomery? Were you surprised by his secret past? Who do you think is the mysterious figure he was referring to? And who do you think should be the new Captain?

OMG BEST CASTLE EPI EVER! So sad to see Ruben aka Capt Montgomery go, but what a way to go. I cried too. Would follow Nathon anywhere, anytyime. He is the perfect man! Can’t wait for next season. How is it possible that this show just keeps getting better??!!

If it was a set up (Kates Death), they may not have included Castle. Possibly to make it seem more authentic. They fewer people in on it the better genuine reaction. That would explain both his confession and her seeming smile.

It was apparent that they were going to kill the chief early on in the season when he was going to retire. I was like, “bam, they are going to kill him this season to up ratings!” So it was child’s play to figure out who the 3rd cop was. The shooting at the end was a nice touch to add a chink in Becketts armor next season and that she will need to lean on others more, emotionally and physically. Good season capper though.

I was surprised about Montgomery. I’m glad Rick finally told Kate how he feels. I’m hoping she just passed out and will be good as new in the Fall. I hope she remembers Rick’s declaration but as others said, she probably won’t speak of it to him. I wish she would. They are so cute together. Leave Josh in Haiti so he doesn’t mess things up. It’s going to be a LONG summer! Yes, she did smile before she closed her eyes.

I don’t want to come back in 4 months with it all a ruse; even IF it would’ve been smart for them all to wear vests at the funeral, I like this as far as drama is concerned. Making it a fake-out would cheapen it a little IMO.

That said, we all know Beckett won’t die, as she’s the female lead. And her wound looks like a gut shot even though the sniper scope aimed at her heart. So she’ll survive, will NOT remember Castle saying he loved her, and “the dance” will be resumed.

Unless it was all a ruse of course, which they cooked up in the precinct after Roy was killed.

O!M!G! CASTLE IS THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!!!! I LOOOOOOVE THIS SHOW! THE SEASON FINALE WAS SO EMOTIONAL AND IT ROCKED!! I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY HOW KATE’S TEXT SAD “3RD COP-MONTGOMERY!” WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT. I HOPE KATE IS NOT DEAD! THAT SHOW WOULD BE HORRIBLE IF SHE DIED!!! I LOVE CASTLE!!!!!

Has it occurred to anyone the show “Castle” really is just about Castle? Beckett’s dead! As the season dragged on, Beckett was becoming more of a 2-dimensional stiff with each episode, and was verbally murdered by Castle earlier in the finale.

As a cop, Beckett should have as good an eye for danger as Castle. When she said, “The best you can hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you’re very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you,” she likely saw the bullet coming and decided to “take her last stand.”

She either got axed from the show or has a movie lined up somewhere. I suspect that she got axed.

Nah. Andrew Marlowe has already spoke out to TV Guide about how Beckett getting shot will be played out. She’s not dead. She’s not off the show. It’s a cliffhanger. Not the end of Stana Katic’s portrayal of Kate Beckett.

I still stand by what I said. Beckett was becoming more of a 2-dimensional stiff with each episode. It would have been better for Beckett to die off (as Nikki Heat) and for Castle to stumble onto new source material in season 4, imo.

This tango was good when it started, but you can only dance for so long before you do something else together or find a new partner. By season 3, there were too many sparks and no fire–none, as in deadwood.

You can only tease someone so many times before a spell’s magic is broken–Beckett may be back for season 4, but I won’t be:(

Are you kidding me!! Kate Beckett and Castle are equally entertaining characters. I thought the way she performed this season should have given her an Emmy nomination. She is very talented and gorgeous. I can’t believe you’re saying that she’s stiff! And no, she didn’t see the glare from the sniper, so what?! Its only visible when its at an certain angle with respect to the position where you stand.
Anyways, don’t trash Kate Beckett! Best female character I’ve seen in a long time and I love her! When she went down and Castle told her to stay with him, he loved him, it was as if I was the one who was saying that to her, which made me cry! I’m a 21 year old guy and I don’t cry!! That’s how much emotionally invested I’m with the characters. So, please don’t trash it, just because u don’t like a particular character.
Beckett’s grown up in the past 3 years. Everybody change with time, we cannot be the same person we were years back! Understand that.

Wow lots of comments! I am in the middle on whether or not I liked this. Good acting and I loved the scenes between Castle and Beckett, but the serious episodes on this show aren’t my favorite. It’s the lighter air of this show that makes it work, so when it takes a turn for the serious they go REALLY serious. I knew from the moment they discovered that there had to be a 3rd cop that it was Montgomery. We still have some unanswered ?s: what did he send out before he died; who really is behind all of this (and will it even be someone we know of in the show or shocking at all), and will Beckett and Castle start making actual steps toward a relationship next season. I’m not sure how much longer they can keep dancing around one. O well, can’t wait until S4 to see how they keep Beckett alive!

I definitely liked the episode. But I am vehemently against cliffhangers only because of the summer wait. I think that Beckett is alive. She heard what Castle said and there will be a season-long tease about their relationship.

I enjoy the tension and enjoy their relationship, but I fear that Castle is starting to step into Bones territory. I love Bones and have been faithful to the show for 6 years, but they waited too long. And sometimes I’m torn between whether or not they belong together. But it’s clear that Castle and Beckett do and that was something that was known since the beginning. I just hope Marlowe knows where Hart Hanson went wrong and doesn’t string the fans along as much as he did.

Why wasn’t Montgomery wearing a vest? Of course, to make “good” TV, but how dumb… That would’ve protected him from two of the three shots he took. Or did Longwood get in a fourth as Montgomery fired?
(Sorry if this was answered, haven’t read the comments.)

He couldn’t wear a vest because then he wouldn’t have died! There’s a whole sacrificial, balancing the scales, dying with honour thing going on here – how was he going to live after coming clean with Beckett? And his family would have had to find out too, but now they won’t. Everyone will preserve his memory in honour – doesn’t work if you live and have to own up to your actions to everyone, yo!

Great episode, but come on, my wife and I saw Montgomery’s involvement from a mile away. If they were trying to make it a huge surprise, it was a very weak attempt. Still, I’m interested to see how this shakes up the dynamic of the show.

Ok, after having rewatched this episode, I am left with a few observations:

1) I did not see Montgomery being the 3rd cop. Shocked the heck out of me. For those that knew as soon as the episode started bravo.

2) I cannot believe the death was staged. She was shot, she bled, and the only reason I could think it MIGHT be staged is, as someone mentioned before, if they had wanted her dead, they would have done a headshot. Graphic, sure, but not as bad as what you might see in a Bones or CSI episode. That would ensure that she had been killed off.

2a) Someone used as proof Esposito holding Laney back. I know this is a TV show and real world logic might not apply, but think about it. They had been dating( are they still?) and someone had just been shot. Who knows if there are more shots coming? I would think Esposito was holding her back because he was afraid Laney might get shot if whoever was the shooter was not done. He was protecting her.

3) A big deal is made about the meeting about keeping what happened in the family. I have watched the episode 3 times now, and to me they are going to make sure Montgomery is not known as a crooked cop. That would devastate his family, and taint a cop who, aside from this rather bad lapse in judgement, seemed to be a good guy.

All of these conspiracy theories seem to require major leaps in judgement to occur. One thing that bugs me, why does Castle not put pressure on the wound? Sure, maybe it does nothing, but maybe it slows the blood flow so she can be saved (A moot point now that we know she does not die). Maybe it is shock but I know when I first saw it I was screaming at the TV for him to put pressure on the wound.

All in all, an excellent episode, one of the best season finales I have seen in a long time. I cannot wait until September to see where they take this.

i have watched this episode 4 times and i still love it! it is awesome! i loved the part when castle and kate are fighting and agree he should have told her he loved her then, but that would take away part of the cliffhanger-iness but it needed to be said! i have only watched season 3 + a few more but i love castle! it is by far the BEST season finale i have ever seen and it brought tears to my eyes. kate wont die but will she remember those 3 little words?? my guess is that when castle goes to c her @ the hospital she will remember, but josh will be there. i cant wait till september!!!

OKAY didn’t anyone watch the behind the scenes segment following the show on the news that night. It totaly answers yes Beckett is still on the show. Also blood can be faked. Also a scene or pilot for Septembers Season Opener shows Kate Alive and well.

The mayor must be the high up, rich, well connected, powerful man calling all the shots. He is the only character alluded to in the show who fits the bill. And since Castle is friends with the mayor it will make for a very tough emotional quandary as the truth dawns in on Castle.

I’ve read a lot of posts at other Castle sites and many fans think her shooting was staged for various reasons. Also, it’s been proven that kevlar vests won’t stop most “cop killer” bullets used today. I also read that a good FX team can successfuly fake an assasination.

The season finale means the baddies aren’t going away, and that the Core Four of Beckett, Castle, Ryan and Esposito are all at risk, because they all know about the conspiracy. The baddies know it – remember Hal Lockwood tortured Ryan and Esposito in ‘Knockdown’. Castle and Beckett will have complications in terms of their feelings, but at least they will be out in the open, and not the victims of plotting pranks. Castle loves Kate- that we know, and the writers would only be cheating themselves to make Kate pass out and not register it. He feels guilty for putting her back on her mother’s case back in the first season, and consequently, in front of the bullet in the finale, so the question for him will be: How do you care for someone you love when you feel responsible for putting her in danger? He’ll feel compelled to protect Kate, which will create friction when she feels he’s holding back, especially if he gets inside knowledge about the conspiracy – either directly, as in, Mongomery’s ‘package’ – or indirectly – through the person he sent it to? And what about Kate? Castle told her she’s scared of being intimate – and he’s right. He also told her she can’t go head-to-head in this instance, and she’ll have to deal with that too.
So I see next season as yet another one where the two will have to relearn how to trust and care, but it will be with much, much higher stakes than we’ve seen before. And a lot of that learning can happen during the stand-alones, so those people who look for the light and funny Castle’s can still get that part, and the shippers, or the people – like me – who are along for the mythology, can be happy too.
IMHO.

This Castle episode showed that the actors and writers can really do great drama with emotion and suspense. I would never have guessed Montgomery, and the way he explained what he did and how he tried to redeem himself with his life – and Beckett forgiving him, well I just started bawling right there and did not stop until the end credits.

This is definitely their best episode and the shocking double twist at the end – Montgomery going down fighting and Beckett being shot – wow. Castle finally saying I love you to Beckett – they both already knew that. The real drama was Montgomery’s confession and Beckett being shot. The Dragon is still out there. And hopefully those files Montgomery sent to Castle? Beckett? will break the case wide open.

Please, please, please let Kate not be dead. There’s no Castle without Beckett! I used to watch the show because of Stana’s amazing Katherine Beckett. I love Kate! Now, I watch the show for both Castle and Beckett. This season has been the best season of Castle! They cannot let her die! Oh God, they cannot let her die!!! I felt as if I was the one who loved Kate and lost her! Nathan and Stana are such awesome actors. I’ll stop seeing the show if Kate is dead. I cried when she was shot!! I’m 21 and I definitely don’t care about characters as much as I cared about these two :(

Mr. Marlowe and his writers like to give us clues with some dialogue and wordless scenes where you fill in the blanks. After the argument Castle and Beckett go to the people that they trust as mentors. Castle’s mother advises him to quit wasting time and tell Kate how he really feels. Montgomery tells Kate that Castle is good for her. So we have 23 calls from Castle trying to reach Kate. Outside the hanger, Rick tells Kate he loves her because you see her reaching up to caress his face. In Beckett’s eulogy she makes this statement that “if you are very lucky you find someone who will stand with you” and looks at Castle. This speaks volumes of where their relationship is at this point. After Kate is shot Rick repeats what he has already said to her earlier. This is my preception of how the season finale ended. Season 4 will be interesting to see how Mr. Marlowe and his writers continue developing the Castle-Beckett chemistry.

POWERS THAT BE, I DO NOT WANT A NEW FORMULA! I LOVED THE OLD 12TH! THIS BETTER BE A PLOY TO COVER UP THAT BEFORE HE DIED THE CAPTAIN LET CASTLE IN ON HIS PLAN AND TOGETHER THEY FAKED HIS DEATH SO HE COULD GO BEHIND THE SCENES AND CATCH THIS… GUY. THEN THE KILLER, THINKING ROY IS OUT OF THE WAY, GOES AFTER BECKETT… PLEASE, I WANT RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON BACK!!! DON’T CHANGE THE SHOW, IT IS MY FAVORITE THING ON TV. I LOVE CASTLE AND I LOVE CAPTAIN MONTGOMERY! WHY FIX SOMETHING IF IT WORKS PERFECTLY THE WAY IT IS??? OK, NOW I’M BEGGING LOL.
P.S. If there has to be a new captain someone like Shaw (Dana Delany) would be great! but only temporarily of course, because Roy has to come back! You know after he catches the guy that killed Beckett’s mom. I am still hoping for the plot twist that he faked his death (with Castles help) and he is out this season hunting badguys!!! Castle season 5: the return of RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON [pretty please]

What a brilliant cliffhanger. New season, rise – has all the hallmarks that Kate survives. Maybe she had a vest on – fake blood – may be the ‘big man’ behind it was at the funeral?? Maybe Captain was also a set up funeral. They will need proof- living proof not just mailed paperwork.
Can’t wait for next series to start :-)